Scrooged (1988) Paramount/Comedy-Horror RT: 101 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, comic violence, frightening special effects, some sexual references/humor, alcohol and drug use) Director: Richard Donner Screenplay: Mitch Glazer and Michael O’Donoghue Music: Danny Elfman Cinematography: Michael Chapman Release date: November 23, 1988 (US) Cast: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, John Glover, Bobcat Goldthwait, David Johansen, Carol Kane, Robert Mitchum, Nicholas Phillips, Michael J. Pollard, Alfre Woodard, Mabel King, John Murray, Reina King, Anne Ramsey, Logan Ramsey, Wendie Malick. Box Office: $60.3M (US)/$100.3M (World)
Rating: *** ½
Director Richard Donner (the Lethal Weapon movies) takes a comic approach to the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol in Scrooged, a wickedly funny comedy with first-rate special effects and Bill Murray (Ghostbusters) at his nastiest. He plays Frank Xavier Cross, the youngest network president in the history of television. He’s mean, ruthless, uncaring and humorless. His office walls have borders that read “Cross: (n) A thing they nail people to.” He’s obviously the Scrooge character.
Frank hates Christmas with a passion. He wants nothing to do with it. The only joy he gets out of the season is ruining it for others. He fires one of his executives (Goldthwait, Police Academy 2-4) for criticizing the highly inappropriate TV spot for a live performance of Scrooge set to air on Christmas Eve. He won’t give his long-suffering secretary Grace (Woodard, Grand Canyon) time off to take her young son, mute after witnessing his father’s murder, to the doctor. He declines an invite from his younger brother (Bill’s real-life brother John) to come to Christmas dinner. All he cares about is work and ratings. This is one guy who deserves to be Scrooged.
One night, Frank receives a visit from his old mentor Lew Hayward (Forsythe, Dynasty). The only problem is the man’s been dead for several years. The decomposing corpse pours himself a drink and informs Frank that he’ll be visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. He needs to change before it’s too late. It freaks him out enough to call his ex-girlfriend Claire (Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark) in a frightened panic. She’s a kind, caring sort who works at a homeless shelter. He hasn’t seen or spoken to her in years. She left him because of his selfish nature.
Already freaked out, Frank’s stress is compounded by the weaselly new assistant (Glover, 52 Pick Up) hired by his boss (Mitchum, Out of the Past) to help him out on the $40 million live show. It’s a big deal, this show. It involves broadcasts from several countries and an unusual cast that includes comedian Buddy Hackett as Scrooge and perky gymnast Mary Lou Retton as Tiny Tim. This is no time for Frank to crack up, but it appears to everybody that’s where he’s headed. Then the first ghost shows up.
I’m pretty sure we all known how the story goes. Frank is visited by three spirits: The Ghost of Christmas Past (Johansen, aka novelty musician Buster Poindexter), Christmas Present (Kane, The Princess Bride) and Christmas Future. They appear to Frank in the forms of a New York City taxi driver, a playful fairy princess and a Grim Reaper-like specter. They take him through his life, showing him the error of his ways and where he’s headed if he doesn’t change.
Ebenezer Scrooge has been played by many actors over the years: Reginald Owen, Alastair Sim, Albert Finney, George C. Scott, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart and Jim Carrey. He was even played by Mr. Magoo in a Christmas special from the 60s. None of them did it quite like Bill Murray in Scrooged. He’s definitely the funniest. He brings his trademark persona to the role, looking at the supernatural goings-on with bemusement and making wise cracks while undergoing a character transformation. I can’t speak to Dickens’ sense of humor, but he might have been amused by Murray’s take on the miserly character he created.
Lots of familiar faces show up in Scrooged. It has appearances by Jamie Farr, Robert Goulet, Buddy Hackett, John Houseman, Lee Majors, Pat McCormick, Mary Lou Retton, Michael O’Donoghue, Michael J. Pollard, Anne Ramsey (in her final film appearance), Miles Davis, Paul Shaffer and the Solid Gold Dancers. Retton’s version of Tiny Tim is one for the books. She doesn’t just drop her cane and walk, she does a back flip and lands in a gymnastic pose before saying “God bless us everyone.” That’s a stroke of comic brilliance. Fans of the Lethal Weapon franchise might recognize Steve Kahan, Mary Ellen Trainor, Damon Hines, Dolores Hall and composer David Sanborn as a street musician.
One of the funniest parts of Scrooged is the opening scene. It’s a promo for The Night the Reindeer Died, a TV movie the network will be showing. It’s a Die Hard-like actioner that has terrorists attacking Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. Whoa, cool! Who knew the elves could handle automatic weapons with such ease? Who knew Santa had such a huge arsenal? The only person standing between the terrorists and control of Santa’s workshop is…. LEE MAJORS! Now that’s a Christmas movie I’d really like to see!
Scrooged is funny throughout with a plethora of priceless dialogue. Upon seeing his dead boss in his office, Frank says, “No, you are a hallucination brought on by alcohol…. Russian vodka poisoned by Chernobyl!” In another scene, Frank throws a bucket of water on a waiter he thinks is on fire. When he realizes it was just a hallucination, he apologizes explaining “I thought you were Richard Pryor.” Kane is hysterical as the sweet fairy with a penchant for violence, punching Frank and hitting him with major appliances. Johansen manages a few laughs as well (“GO BACK TO JERSEY, YA MORON!”). I also got a laugh out of the guests at Claire’s homeless shelter mistaking Frank for actor Richard Burton. Incidentally, Allen does a great job as the ex who still cares about Frank even though he doesn’t deserve it.
The special effects and visuals in Scrooged are quite impressive even by today’s standards. Let me revise that a bit, ESPECIALLY by today’s standards. Nowadays it’s all CGI. That’s one of the things I don’t like about the 3D one with Jim Carrey. With Scrooged, you get makeup and practical effects. The dead boss’ rotting corpse is a work of art.
In the end, Scrooged is a funny if macabre feel-good movie. It hits almost all the right notes, especially with the cast (even stuffy John Houseman) singing a happy, heartfelt rendition of “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” at the end. There’s even a bit of audience participation with Murray inviting the audience to join in. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed Scrooged, I’d still love to see a serious adaptation of the immortal Dickens classic someday. I think Bill Nighy would make an excellent Scrooge.
